A Day in the Life of Leo

8AM~Wake up-usually slowly, he prefers to sleep in until around 9:00 :) I give him a tummy rub, and talk softly to him.
8:15~He finally gets up, and walks outside. I remove his boy band and he pees swirls across the deck. He does not seem to ever know when he is peeing, so the boy band must be on indoors at all times. As he cruises around outside I clean his crate. I change the bedding and look for any little poops that might have "escaped" during the night. I strip the wet pads from his boy band and drop them in the special trash receptacle that hangs from the side of his crate. I put the boy band in the wash, because he soaks the pads and sometimes the band during the night. Once his crate is clean I meet him at the door and wipe his underside and bottom to clean off any poop that might still be hanging around. He stands perfectly as I put his band on. He goes back into his crate to wait for breakfast as I rotate the other dogs out. 8:30~Leo barks his "I want food bark" as he hears me preparing breakfast in the dog room. He has two different pitches and I listen carefully as I make breakfast. If it sounds more desperate than demanding then he is telling me he needs to poop again. I stop what I am doing to prevent him from pooping his clean crate. If it is a poop call and I am too late, I clean it up. If not, I put him back outside to finish. As I arrive with breakfast he gets very excited. I meet him at the door, wipe his bum and he dashes into his crate to eat. His breakfast consists of RD Prescription Diet and pro biotic powder, to keep his poop consistent and his intestinal tract in order. It is now 9AM.9:30~Leo has eaten his breakfast. He has had time to let his food settle. At this point he will join his friends in the play yard. I check his crate for anything that shouldn't be there and start laundry.
10:15~I join Leo and his pals in the yard. Moose the Chocolate Lab is begging me to chuck the tennis ball for him, so the games begin. Moose chases the ball and Leo chases Moose along with Ginger the Norfolk Terrier chasing Leo. Ginger yodels as she runs and it is a sight! Once Leo gets tired of all the running, he comes and sits between my legs as I stand there chucking the ball. He seems so content to watch the world from my feet. He is a very sweet soul. Once the ball game is over and the dogs are wandering on their own I head back inside to keep my chores going. 11:30~Leo and friends come back in from outside. I meet him at the door to wipe his underside, legs, and bottom. I then put his new belly band back on-fresh with new pads. He gets a cookie and goes into his crate. I cover his crate so he is not distracted and can sleep. At this point he settles in for a 1-3 hour nap-usually. Today, he starts barking the "poop bark" after being covered for about 5 minutes. I am in the restroom and cannot get to him that moment. When I do arrive he has pooped in his crate. I let him out and he takes off running to the dog bed full of toys. He is a lot like a tired child with bursts of energy right before they pass out into a deep sleep. I look up from cleaning his crate and pulling his dirty towels and realize he is leaving a trail of poop prints because the poop is on his foot. Leo is rolling around in the middle of the toys having a big time! I grab his poopy paw and clean it off as he kicks and rolls. He is too cute for words. Once I am done with his crate he is on his side starting to fall asleep. I gently get him up and lead him to his clean bed and put him down for his nap a second time. I collect the toys he got poop on along with the cover of the dog bed and head to the washer. It is now a little past Noon.
2:30~Leo starts making grumbling noises that signal he is starting to wake up. I let him go on for a minute and then he is quiet again. False alarm, he was just getting re settled.
3:20~Leo is grumbling in a big way and there is no question he is up and needs to poop. I uncover him and he stretches while yawning the most adorable yawn I have ever seen. I lead him outside and remove his band. A burst of pee shoots out going everywhere. He walks off down the ramp to the lawn where his friends are playing, dropping little poops along the way. I grab the hose and bleach spray to clean the deck and my shoe. Outside, he poops wherever it falls out. He does not squat or act like he knows he is pooping. The only time it registers is when he is in his crate and somehow knows he will have poop in his bed if he does not speak up. Leo sees his friends Gracie and Samson. He takes off running faster than I have ever seen him run. It is glorious to watch! He is not limited mobility-wise at all. He chases them through the log area and stomps into the kiddie pools. He is smiling wildly.
4:30~Leo is at the door sitting with his back against it. He is worn out. He does not have play stamina anywhere close to the other dogs. He has a total blast, then goes to his spot. From here he watches the other dogs continue to play as he rests.
5:00~I bring Leo inside, hoping he has been outside long enough to work all of his poop out. I wipe his underside and his rear end. I put his band on, and toss a cookie into his crate. He goes in and happily munches his treat. He gets comfortable and starts chewing his bone. I start to prepare dogs that are going home for departure. As I am packing up and preparing their dinner, Leo starts the poop bark again. I let him outside with his band on and he drops a big poop on the deck. Sometimes it takes awhile for a good-sized poop to make it out. He has many small poops as he is around the yard and playing. Many times when he returns in after a lot of stimulation he gets settled and then realizes he has one poop left on deck. This may be from the puppy in him ignoring that its time to poop because he is too busy playing or it works its way out after great stimulus outside. The issue of poop coming out so sporadically may improve as he matures and we will not see the full positive effects of his surgery for a few more months. The consistency of his poop is on the softer side as well, much of the time. This may be a permanent affliction. He is on a strict high fiber diet that never varies yet his poop texture does. Only time will tell with both of these issues.
5:20~Leo is back inside. I have wiped his bottom and he is loudly barking his "food bark" because during all his playtime he has worked up an appetite. I give him his bowl. He starts gobbling his dinner and I return to what I was doing. A few minutes later as I walk into the room I see a sweet little Bulldog passed out and snoring next to his food bowl. I put his crate cover over him so he can rest.
7:15~Leo senses his friends are passing by his crate and he wakes up. I let him out, take his band off and he runs peeing after the rest of the pack. I toss the band in the laundry and prepare his bed time band for his return. The bed time band is either 3 pads instead of two or I add a thick hand towel for the best absorbency. It makes a big cushy and soft diaper for his night’s sleep. I never want him to have to feel wet against his underbelly. When he first arrived he had been scalded by urine contact on his belly. I keep him very clean to insure that never happens to either of his delicate areas.
8:00~Leo comes back inside with his friends. I put his big band on and he heads for the toy pile. As I put his friends in their places, he rolls in the toy pile and I join him on the ground. It is cuddle time and he wants his tummy rub and to be scratched behind his ears. I oblige. I also take this time to inspect his facial wrinkles and to wipe them. I check his chin and chest to make sure he is not broken out. Last week he had a reaction to a detergent I had used. He had bumps from his chin to his chest. I now buy only clear and free detergent as not to upset his system. He nibbles on my fingers and rolls around on his back on his pile of toys.
8:45~I move from the ground to my chair as Leo is playing with his Kong Wubba toy. He soon comes over and tries to climb in my lap. He can jump up on the couch which is amazing to me. But he cannot get into my chair. I give him a boost and he is pleased to lay across my chest with his head in my hair-sometimes chewing on it. LOL! He is growing sleepy. As he gets heavier and his breathing changes to a light snore, I slide him off and lead him to his bed. I kiss his face and put his pink piggy next to him. He nibbles his cookie and starts to nest. I cover him for one last time and he is asleep. Amazingly, once he is out he will sleep through just about anything. It is a little past 9pm and Leo’s day is over.
Note: Some people reading this may not understand why I do not use a diaper on Leo. I have two reasons. First, I believe his potty training connection will improve with age. Second, the idea of poop being smashed against his skin/fur would have to result in a bath /sponge bath every time he defecates in his diaper.. He is sensitive to soap and to keep him clean he would be bathed often. I think the damage done in skin flare ups like the one with the detergent would be worse for Leo than the extra work not diapering him creates for me.